Page 35 of Gator's Gambit
The man knows me so well. He knows I would never say no to a gift. “Thank you. That’s sweet and thoughtful.”
“I don’t want to, but I have to say goodbye. Besides, I want to get your ticket booked. We have debriefing once we land, and we never know how long that’s going to take, but I’ll give you a call again as soon as we’re done.”
“Okay, well then, have a good rest of your flight and I’ll chat with you later.”
I’m about to hang up when I hear him say, “Pooks, I –” He clears his throat again. “I love you, baby.” His voice is quieter – almost as if he doesn’t want anyone else to hear.Inearly don’t hear the words. But thankfully I do, and they bring tears to my eyes.
To be clear, they’re tears of gratitude because, honestly, I never thought I’d ever hear them from him. Not in this context anyway.
“I love you too.”
I have no idea how long I sit staring off into space after the phone call, and who knows how much longer I would have sat there if Evie hadn’t bumped my arm with her little head. Absently giving her scratches, I mentally plan my visit to California. And then begin to panic about meeting his friends. What if they don’t like me, or think I’m not right for him?
I’m just about to go into a full-blown meltdown when I receive an email, and it pauses my train of thought. As promised, the ticket Godric spoke of pops into my inbox. I’m going to California to see him. Who would have thought it? Not me, that’s for sure. The situation is so far removed from where I ever thought he and I would end up, I can’t help but giggle like a teenage girl, hugging myself with excitement.
I just hope his friends – these people that mean the world to him – like me. If they don’t, I have no idea what I’m going to do.
17
GATOR
Clutching flowers in one hand, I run my other hand through my hair, pacing as I wait for Fancy. Her flight landed a good ten minutes ago, but she has yet to appear. I have no idea why I’m suddenly panicking that she’s changed her mind and isn’t coming. That’s not like her, nor is this overwhelming anxiety like me either.
I can only guess it’s because this means so much to me.
I’m on the verge of swallowing my pride and calling Mrs. Gilmore when I see Fancy come through the doors, her expression a mirror image of what I imagine mine is. An enormous sense of relief washes through me as I hasten over to meet her.
The smile Fancy gives when she spots me is like watching the sun come out from behind the clouds, and I feel myself settle. Wrapping my arms around her, I bury my face in her neck. The solid feel of her in my arms and the familiar scent of her perfume reassures me that this, in fact, is not a dream, and that she really is here with me.
We stand like that for long minutes, simply soaking each other in, neither one of us saying a word. The past few weeks have been hell. The mission fucked out spectacularly, and wecame home empty handed. The only good thing to come out of it is Knight injuring William Armatrout.
The shot he managed to land appears to have done a good amount of damage. We just don’t know how much, or how serious it is. As for Joseph Notolo, he managed to get away unscathed, and there’s no way to know what hole he’s slithered into. But none of that matters as I stand in the middle of the airport arrivals terminal with Fancy in my arms.
Finally, I feel her take a deep breath before lifting her head to look up at me. The angle is awkward, so I take a small step back to bring her into better focus.
“Hey,” she murmurs.
“Hey. You have a good flight?”
“Yeah, pretty uneventful. I was just impatient to get here.”
Laughing, I give her a last quick squeeze. “Yeah, I hear that. The guys have been giving me shit because I’ve been ‘impossible’ – their word.”
“Knowing you, I can believe it.”
“Hey now. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am. I just know you well.” She grins up at me, her eyes sparkling, and I can’t stop myself from sealing her lips with mine with what I intended to be a quick kiss.
No such luck. The minute I taste her on my tongue, the combination of minty toothpaste and coffee, my embrace tightens, and I deepen the kiss. The world ebbs and flows around us, and I’m oblivious to it all. Fancy is all I’m aware of and, in all honesty, if I were to die right this second, I would die a happy man.
It’s only when something rams pretty hard into my leg that the moment is shattered as I stagger sideways. Looking down, I see a little boy standing there, seems to be around three maybe, lip quivering, staring up at me with huge, wary eyes. I’m not thetallest guy in the world, but I guess to a tyke that size, I must seem fairly big.
Going to my haunches, I get down to his height. “Hi there, you okay?” He stares, but doesn’t say a word. Just pops his thumb in his mouth. I try again. “Is your mom or dad nearby?”
The child looks around, then looks back at me and a couple tears spill over. Fancy plops down onto the floor beside me, crosses her legs, and waits a moment to see if we’ll get an answer.
When none is forthcoming, she takes a shot at talking to him. “Hi sweetie, my name’s Fancy and this” — she points at me — “is Godric. But I call him Bean ’cause it’s easier to say. What’s yours?” Damn, I should’ve thought of that.
